Landfill expansion project hits another bump

Joe Goldeen Record Staff Writer @JoeGoldeen

Tuesday

Aug 27, 2019 at 6:13 PM

STOCKTON — A proposal before the county’s Board of Supervisors to expand the massive Forward Landfill southeast of Stockton along Austin Road remains in limbo today while its backers have been given time to meet with Federal Aviation Administration officials who sent a letter last Friday objecting to the project.

San Joaquin County planners previously recommended approval of the project, described as an infill expansion of 17.3 acres within the boundaries of the existing Forward Landfill. The current proposal does not include landfilling operations into an adjacent 184-acre parcel that previously was proposed in 2012.

And planners indicated the latest proposal initiated by Forward in 2018 will not increase the intensity of litter impacts, the level of daily disposal or daily number of truck trips to the site.

The matter came before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in the form of an appeal by the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation to the Planning Commission’s approval of the expansion project. But before the case could be heard, attorney Michael Hakeem representing Forward asked for a 30-day continuance in response to the FAA letter dated Aug. 22 that raised objections to the expansion proposal.

“We need time to meet with them,” Hakeem said, indicating it would be “irresponsible” to proceed without having a clear understanding of the FAA’s stance. The board 4-1 to delay review, with Supervisor Chuck Winn voting no.

The FAA letter, signed by Brian Armstrong, manager of safety and standards for the agency’s Western-Pacific Region Office of Airports, stated “the expansion of the Forward Landfill would be incompatible with safe airport operations at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.”

The FAA’s primary concern is that it considers landfills “hazardous wildlife attractants” that, when located too close to runway operations, can increase the potential for wildlife strikes by aircraft while landing or departing.

The extended runway centerline for Stockton Metro’s Runway 29R passes within 1,200 feet of the nearest point of the landfill site, or less than a quarter-mile. Meanwhile, an FAA advisory recommends a distance of 5 statute miles between the farthest edge of the airport’s air operations area and the hazardous wildlife attractant.

“The location of this landfill clearly contradicts this recommendation,” the letter stated.

Bruce Blodgett with the Farm Bureau objected to continuing the matter another month, saying the issues cited in the most recent FAA letter are not new.

“These are the same concerns that have been expressed,” he said.

Several farmers who took their valuable time in the midst of a busy harvest season to appear and support the Farm Bureau’s appeal also objected to the continuance.

The Farm Bureau has said the Forward Landfill is nearing the end of its usable life, it sits on prime farmland and two other existing landfills in the county are better suited for dumping trash because they are on land less suitable for agriculture.